Andor Season 2's Latest Episodes Break Historic Star Wars Record

Andor Season 2's latest batch of episodes broke a historic record for the Star Wars brand. Tony Gilroy's acclaimed Star Wars drama, recounting the life and time of Diego Luna's Cassian Andor leading into Star Wars: Rogue One, returned to rave reviews in April. The show's second season has been broken into four arcs, each spread one year apart, maintaining the high standard set by the Emmy-nominated first season.

Episodes 8 and 9 of Andor Season 2 broke a long-standing Star Wars record, becoming the highest-rated live-action Star Wars episode. Both episodes (titled "Who Are You?" and "Welcome to the Rebellion") managed to break the mark set by The Mandalorian Chapter 16 all the way back in December 2020 on IMDB, each eclipsing 9.8 out of 10 on the platform's review scale.

Episode 8 ("Who Are You?"), which depicted the ruthless Ghorman Massacre, was the lower-rated of the two, coming in at 9.8. Episode 9 ("Welcome to the Empire"), meanwhile, earned a whopping 9.9, following Cassian Andor and galactic senator Mon Mothma as they race to get off Coruscant after a shocking act of defiance.

High scores were expected for the series, as early reviews called the show "Star Wars at its best," but reaching the mountain top of all live-action Star Wars TV projects.

Andor Season 2 has only three more episodes left in the chamber, with the show's last arc set to debut on Disney+ on Tuesday, May 13. The series once again tracks the early days of the Rebel Alliance as characters like Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly), and Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) deal in the shadows in an era of rising Imperial threat.

Season 2 will lead directly into Star Wars: Rogue One, telling the "devastating" story that preceded Andor's conquest to retrieve the Death Star plans and pave the way for a Rebel victory.

What Are the Best Live-Action Star Wars Episodes Ever?

With this new record, Andor Season 2 dethroned The Mandalorian Season 2 as having the highest-rated live-action Star Wars TV episode of all time. 

The Mandalorian claimed that top spot in 2020 with the release of the critically acclaimed Chapter 16 (aka the Season 2 finale), which saw the return of Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker for the first time in the series. 

The Mandalorian episodes occupy six of the top 15 Star Wars episodes, the most of any live-action series to date. Right behind Mando is now Andor, which (including Season 2, Episodes 8 and 9) claims five spots on the top 15 list. The pair of Season 2 episodes also marks the first from Andor's newest season to pop up on the list.

See the complete list of the top live-action Star Wars episodes below:

• Andor Season 2, Episode 9: "Welcome to the Rebellion" - 9.9
• Andor Season 2, Episode 8: "Who Are You?" - 9.8
• The Mandalorian Chapter 16: The Rescue - 9.8
• Andor Episode 10: One Way Out - 9.5
• The Mandalorian Chapter 13: The Jedi - 9.3
• The Mandalorian Chapter 8: Redemption - 9.2
• The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger - 9.2
• Andor Episode 6: The Eye - 9.1
• Andor Episode 12: Rix Road - 9.1
• The Mandalorian Chapter 14: The Tragedy - 9.1
• The Book of Boba Fett Chapter 5: Return of the Mandalorian - 9.1
• Ahsoka Episode 5: Shadow Warrior - 9.0
• The Mandalorian Chapter 7: The Reckoning - 9.0
• The Mandalorian Chapter 15: The Believer - 8.9
• The Mandalorian Chapter 3: The Sin - 8.9

It is worth noting that on the animated front, the Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7 finale also has a 9.9 on IMDb, tying it with Andor Season 2, Episode 9 as the best-reviewed overall episode of Star Wars TV.